THIS IS LONDON SEPTEMBER EDITION 2025 copy - Flipbook - Page 26
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SPACE GALLERY OPENS AT THE
SCIENCE MUSEUM
A significant new gallery, Space,
opened at the Science Museum in
September, inviting visitors to discover
a new perspective on iconic space
objects. The free gallery brings together
remarkable objects that celebrate the first
space age and cutting-edge prototype
technology that represents the future of
space exploration which have never
before been displayed.
Two remarkable human-flown
spacecraft – the Soyuz descent module
that carried astronaut Tim Peake into
space and back, and the Apollo 10
command module which orbited the
Moon in May 1969 – are displayed
side-by-side for the first time in the new
gallery, with visitors invited to see the
scorched surfaces and peer inside these
iconic spacecraft. Visitors can also see
Mercury, Mars and other planets and
moons in the Solar System projected
onto a large sphere at the heart of the
gallery, with insights into these strange
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the first Briton in space. Also, on
display, the Soyuz TMA-19M Descent
Module, which transported the UK’s first
ESA astronaut Tim Peake to and from
the ISS – and clocked 74,000,000 miles
as it orbited the Earth – was the first
flown human spacecraft acquired by the
UK when it was collected by the Science
Museum Group.
A three-billion-year-old piece of the
Moon forms a focal point in Space.
Visitors can get close to a sample from
one of the largest Moon rocks collected:
Great Scott. Such was the size of the
rock, Astronaut David Scott had to roll it
up the leg of his space suit and then tip
it into the Lunar Rover. It is thought to
have lain on the surface for approx.
80 million years before it was collected
during the Apollo 15 mission.
Free weekend activities for families
will take place in the museum during
World Space Week in October and the
hugely popular sleepover like no other,
Astronights, will take place monthly
through to December, with young
campers able to explore the new gallery
and take part in space-inspired
workshops in the museum after dark.
Photos: © Science Museum Group
Sokol KV-2 rescue suit worn by Helen
Sharman during the Juno mission, 1991.
worlds provided through new narration
by British astronaut, Helen Sharman.
The new gallery features a largerthan-life Moonscape, taken from a
photograph captured by the Apollo 17
crew, which stretches 20 metres along
the gallery wall. Meanwhile the 6-metretall full-size engineering model of
BepiColombo and 3-metre-tall J2 rocket
engine stretch upwards towards the
museum galleries above.
Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief
Executive of the Science Museum
Group, said: ‘As a species, we've always
looked to the stars. I have no doubt that
the wonders of space we showcase in
our new gallery will inspire and thrill a
new generation of visitors. Whether
you're fascinated by the engineering
behind space exploration, inspired by
stories of space pioneers, or simply
curious about the planets, Space invites
you to delve into humanity's greatest
adventure.’
This British story of space exploration
stretches back decades. Space
redisplays the newly conserved Sokol
spacesuit worn by Helen Sharman, who
was just 27 years old when she became
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